An animatic is an early copy of an animated episode or film, comprised of timed, black and white animation keyframes, placeholder sound effects, and dialogue from the initial recording session. Occasionally, Animatics contain placeholder voice tracks and music if the material is still in production. In the production of Futurama, animatics are screened to writers who then cut and rework scenes they feel do not work well visually. After these changes are made, a revised animatic is sent overseas to Rough Draft Korea for production, though all 3D sequences, most effects, and a few hand-drawn sequences are animated entirely in the United States. Typically, short scenes where timing is crucial to humor are produced in the United States. An example of such a scene is Dr. Zoidberg's frenzied eating during the military buffet experiment in "Roswell that Ends Well".

Generally, animatics are for "in production" use, and are often not released publicly, though, as DVD special features, Futurama has 5 released animatics from its first four seasons. The animatic of the first scene of "Rebirth", the first episode of the Season 6, was shown by David X. Cohen at the Supercon in Miami, Florida.

Additionally, some partial animatics of the four movies that comprise Season 5 exist, also as DVD special features.